After The Fall: The End of the European Dream and the Decline of a Continent

by Walter Laqueur

A master historian takes us deep into the heart of Europe's current political and financial crisis Walter Laqueur was one of the few experts who predicted Europe's current financial and political crisis when he wrote The Last Days of Europe six years ago. Now this master historian takes readers inside the European crisis that he foresaw. Ravaged by the world economic meltdown, increasingly dependent on imported oil and gas, and lacking a common foreign policy, Europe is in dire straits. With the authority that comes from thirty years of experience as an expert on political affairs, the author predicts the future prospects of this troubled continent. Europe is the United States’ closest ally, and its prosperity is vital to American's success and security. This is a must-read for anyone invested in our country's future.

Genres: Politics, Economics, Nonfiction, Current Affairs

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2012

About the author

Walter Ze'ev Laqueur was an American historian, journalist and political commentator. Laqueur was born in Breslau, Lower Silesia, Prussia (modern Wrocław, Poland), into a Jewish family. In 1938, he left Germany for the British Mandate of Palestine. His parents, who were unable to leave, became victims of the Holocaust.

Laqueur lived in Israel from 1938 to 1953. After one year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he joined a Kibbutz and worked as an agricultural laborer from 1939 to 1944. In 1944, he moved to Jerusalem, where he worked as a journalist until 1953, covering Palestine and other countries in the Middle East.

Since 1955 Laqueur has lived in London. He was founder and editor, with George Mosse, of the Journal of Contemporary History and of Survey from 1956 to 1964. He was also founding editor of The Washington Papers. He was Director of the Institute of Contemporary History and the Wiener Library in London from 1965 to 1994. From 1969 he was a member, and later Chairman (until 2000), of the International Research Council of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington. He was Professor of the History of Ideas at Brandeis University from 1968 to 1972, and University Professor at Georgetown University from 1976 to 1988. He has also been a visiting professor of history and government at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Tel Aviv University and Johns Hopkins University.

Laqueur's main works deal with European history in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially Russian history and German history, as well as the history of the Middle East. The topics he has written about include the German Youth Movement, Zionism, Israeli history, the cultural history of the Weimar Republic and Russia, Communism, the Holocaust, fascism, and the diplomatic history of the Cold War. His books have been translated into many languages, and he was one of the founders of the study of political violence, guerrilla warfare and terrorism. His comments on international affairs have appeared in many American and European newspapers and periodicals.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly written book about the decline of European Union. Author truthfully, explicitly, depicting the flaws of European Union in terms of economic, political and cultural aspects. The brief history of Europe was also brought about but not in a repeated ways that we all knew of. Author simply brought out the key points of the history that lingers through timeline from early 1900 to the existing structure which ridden with the existing many problems/obstacles on why European countries are united in foreign policies, immigration policies, economic policies and mainly the political policies. Author briefly explains the current political and economical situation between EU and neighbours such as Russia, Asia, America, Britain, Africa, Central Europe (Turkey) and especially massive influx of many different groups of Muslim population. Author points out the problems that EU are not facing mainly on population in which globally population DO NOT increase, in fact, the world populations (newborn) are in shrinkage and depopulation (naturally) are in the process that will change many advanced nations in the forthcoming. Author spent enormous time on Muslim communities and many aspects of exchanges between them and Muslim's new growth, massive unemployed, but vast communities that live among in many European countries; that are also the factors on "dragging" the economies down. In addition, the austerity measures carried out by these advanced countries including medical, welfare, educational cutbacks are in direct conflict with both existing EU populations as well as the new immigrated populations. Ultimately, the author has pointed out several scholars who made previous predictions on EU future; of those whether they have been incorrect, correct or even partially correct; scholars such as Herbermas, Spengler, Satre, Kagen, Francesco, Grimm, Mahbubani, Schmidt, Strauss, Adams, Malthus, Mackinder, Dangerfield, Kennedy, etc. Author's final conclusions are i) EU will shrink into 2 separate regional power groups: the stronger power similar to Hanseatic League vs the weaker power league. ii) EU will rise to the super union power (which author believes will not happen) iii) complete fade away collapse. Excellent book to read in one wishes to learn the many problems of EU and where it is heading.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey!; review my Spanish blog entry about this book: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com/2...
This book states that Europe is doomed. It is disappearing at an astonishing fast speed rate. The poppulation is in a steady decline and will continue to be until there is not a single european left. Several countries are doomed to dissappear. What will be left is what we can already see in most neighborhoods in London; Paris and Berlin: herds and herds of immigrants whose majority do not have a cultural tie to the land they are inhabiting; and whose culture is hip-hop; unemployment and easy money. Europe is becoming more and more dangerous; because it is losing its cultural background. This book is really terrifying; and I was really scared when I finished it. I didn't see any sign of optimism in it; and the writer is very good and convincing. I hope he turns out to be wrong; as many other authors had about so many other world topics.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is written so recently, I'm not sure if it's a knee-jerk reaction to what's going on in Greece and the other PIIGS countries. His comparison to Europe's current condition to Italy in the mid-1800s is really on point:

In 1847 Metternich, the Austrian prime minister, wrote his ambassador in Paris that Italy was but a geographical expression, a useful shorthand description but without political significance. A year later Charles Albert, king of Sardinia proclaimed L'Italia fura da se - Italy will take care of itself. Even today, 160 years later, it is difficult to say which of these two politicians was closer to the truth

Given Europe's challenges and shortcomings, it seems that Metternich more closely describes the future of Europe, but time will tell.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Laqueur seems to have written the book to enable history classes to excerpt particular chapters, so there's a lot of repetition. Not much I didn't already know about declining birthrates, increased immigration, and expensive social services in European economies.

[Danielnylinnilsson Nylin Nilsson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected some kind of analysis of the euro crisis but the author simply lists what is wrong and finds someone to blame - Muslim immigrants.